See what students say:

Academics

Wide-ranging exploration and customized learning are the driving forces at Washington University in St. Louis, where students can design their own curriculum thanks to an “academic flexibility” that allows students to explore many different areas of study and find their passions. WashU focuses on the balanced student: “academically involved, part of many student groups, really immersed in the culture here.” The “collaborative culture” is apparent in all aspects of the school, and because students here are so dedicated to their studies, there are “many clubs dedicated to specific areas” of academics, as well as research opportunities. The school’s Center for Experiential Learning lets students put their learnings into practice and consult with actual companies or create mock business, and it is “easy to switch schools and majors” for students that find a new interest pulling them. Even first-year seminars “sometimes include out-of-class components like research or travel,” and the school encourages civic engagement like local service projects, even building them into some classes. Additionally, around 40 percent of students study abroad during their time at WashU.

Academics are “great, but incredibly difficult,” but the support systems in place for first-year students “help ease the college transition immensely,” and the administration “deeply cares about the well-being of the students.” For classes that need more resources (such as introductory courses like chemistry, biology, physics), there are “homework help sessions and tutoring groups that you can access easily.” Professors are similarly “wonderful” and “encourage building personal relationships.” Students particularly love the real world applications of their classes: “We get to work with real companies, choose semester-long projects that interest our teams, and enjoy the humor that our professors bring to lectures.” Best of all, for almost any program a student chooses to pursue, there is “flexibility so you can major or minor or take classes across schools without red tape.”

Student Body

WashU’s population is “small enough to walk around campus and say hi to a lot of people, but you can still meet new people every day.” Everyone here is “passionate about something,” and that passion is “contagious and highly motivating, especially at such a collaborative environment.” There is a “diverse student body racially and religiously,” and they are the most “genuine, down-to-earth, driven, non-competitive, outgoing student population” on top of being “intellectually curious, multi-talented, and engaged with the world around them.” Above all, what really sets WashU apart is “what admissions officers call the nice factor,” where “students across all disciplines are collaborative in their work and kind to others.” People “build each other up here and cheer each other on, and it really creates a community.”

Campus Life

WashU is “the package deal. Great academics, amazing extracurricular activities, and the best people.” There’s “always funding for student groups, student initiatives, university-run activities, research, and the infrastructure is “unmatched”: “Dorms are five-star hotels, food is delicious with tons of variety, [and] the buildings are gorgeous.” The campus is also stunning, and “there is beautiful architecture, both historic and modern, and excellent maintenance of plant life.” Campus life is “exciting and lively,” and people are busy: “very few people do nothing for more than two hours per day.” The “library is always filled, people are always playing Frisbee on the open fields,” and “everyone is involved in multiple extracurricular activities.” On the weekends students will go to the Loop (a stretch of restaurants near campus) for dinner with friends, or “older students go out to bars or clubs.” The social scene is “largely Greek life-based,” though big clubs or student groups also have “a very strong social aspect.” The greater St. Louis area is a destination in itself, and people will often run in Forest Park or go exploring things “like music festivals or the local food scene.” Brunch is a “super popular weekend option for getting off campus,” but since students are not allowed to have a car for the first two years “it can be very difficult to get around.”

Students Say

WashU undergrads have access to professors who continually “look to help students [with regards to] internships…career plans [and] professional development. Undergrads can also easily utilize a “good” career services office that is continually developing programs and fostering relationships that will benefit the students. Hence, WashU grads can be found working at top firms in a variety of industries. Employers include Amazon, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, City Year, Inc., Capital One, Anheuser-Busch InBev, AT&T, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Teach for America, Bain & Company, Inc., and Deloitte Consulting LLP (among other illustrious corporations).

Every faculty member and administrator we asked about career preparation at WashU could easily rattle off the success stories of their former students. There's Laura Javier, a designer at Facebook who was recently named one of 2016's most creative people in business for her work on Facebook's Moments application. The 2011 graduate credits WashU's communication design program and two specific mentors with the success she's had early in her career. Jim McKelvey, who graduated in 1987 with degrees in computer science and economics is co-founder of Square, the credit card processor that allows businesses to take cards anywhere. McKelvey also founded LaunchCode, which opens doors to technology jobs through education, training, and placement. LaunchCode, located in St. Louis, often hires WashU students as interns. Aaron Samuels says WashU taught him that "picking a career path didn't mean choosing one part of [himself]." Samuels, who graduated in 2011 with degrees in business administration and philosophy has always had varied interests, and his post-graduation positions have been just as varied—on Wall Street, in poetry, and as a tech company co-founder. And 2015 graduate Danica Yu is working as a recruiting coordinator at Google Inc. Yu's degrees are in environmental policy and anthropology, and her experience during college was primarily in the field of sustainability. She demonstrates that a WashU education will get you far, regardless of what it is you study here. A chemistry major sums it up: "WashU prepares you for a variety of different careers. It's not just good at being a pre-med school. You have options in business, art, architecture, and engineering...It prepares you to think critically and handle a variety of situations."

Student Services

Minority Support Groups: The Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) provides support and advocacy for students from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized populations. The CDI also creates collaborative partnerships with campus community stakeholders, and the CDI promotes dialogue and social change among all students. For more information, please visit https://diversity.wustl.edu

Army ROTC Offered on-campusAir Force ROTC Offered at cooperating institutions: St. Louis University

Sustainability

One of the country’s leading universities, Washington University’s commitment to sustainability is woven throughout all aspects of the campus experience – including hundreds of sustainability-related courses, hands-on research opportunities, tens of student green groups, and a strong campus culture of sustainability. At the global-scale, the university’s International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability and the McDonnel International Scholars Academy work to address sustainability issues through collaborative research with 28 partner universities throughout the world. Wash U’s Danforth and Medical Campuses are currently home to 20 LEED certified projects, including a new major LEED Platinum student housing complex, the Lofts, as well as nine LEED Gold buildings. The university is also home to the Living Learning Center, a net zero energy and water building and the world's first to achieve Living Building Challenge certification. In 2010, the University committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 22 percent reduction, without the use of carbon offsets. In 2014 alone, Wash U. invested over $5 million in energy efficiency and significantly expanded its commitment to renewable energy, installing over 1,600 solar panels. Seventeen percent of food served on campus comes from local producers, in addition to fair trade coffees and teas, cage-free eggs, antibiotic-free and grass-fed hamburger meat and sustainably harvested seafood. Most major campus events are now zero waste, diverting more than 90 percent of the waste from the landfill through composting and recycling. And it’s easy to go car-free at Wash U. with lightrail and bus stops on each campus and free transit passes for all full-timers. The two campuses are separated by a world-class park, Forest Park, and both feature a robust car-share program, bike repair stands, and connections to greenways.

Data provided by Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), STARS®, as of March, 2018.

Campus Security Report

The Jeanne Clery Act requires colleges and universities to disclose their security policies, keep a public crime log, publish an annual crime report and provide timely warnings to students and campus employees about a crime posing an immediate or ongoing threat to students and campus employees.

The Princeton Review publishes links directly to each school's Campus Security Reports where available. Applicants can also access all school-specific campus safety information using the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool provided by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education: http://ope.ed.gov/security

Faculty and Coach Visits

Class Visits

Overnight Dorm Stays

Overnight Dorm Stays

Available

Arrangements

Contact Admissions Office

Limitations

One-night stay during the fall and spring semesters

Transportation

Types of Transportation Available to Campus

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is approximately 10 miles from campus. Taxis are available for the ride from the airport to campus. A 24-hour taxi service is located directly across from the baggage claim area. The MetroLink Light Rail System also provides light rail service from the airport to campus.

Driving Instructions to Campus

Please visit http://admissions.wustl.edu and click on "Visit" for detailed directions to campus.

Local Accommodations

If you're planning on staying overnight, some local hotel accommodations include the Knight Center on the Washington University Campus (866-933-9400 or 314-933-9400), Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton Hotel (800-227-6963 or 314-726-5400), Hampton Inn and Suites Clayton/St. Louis-Galleria Area (314-727-0700), Homewood Suites by Hilton St. Louis-Galleria (800-225-5466 or 314-863-7700), Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis (800-241-3333 or 314-863-6300), and Sheraton Clayton Plaza (800-325-3535 or 314-863-0400).